Consistency key for West Indies, says Ramdin

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Last Updated: Thu, May 24, 2012 10:00 hrs

Nottingham (England), May 24 (IANS/CMC) The West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin has stressed the need for consistency if the Caribbean side are to get the better of England in the second Test starting Friday at Trent Bridge.

The tourists will be looking to level the series after losing the first Test at Lord's by five wickets on the final day Monday.

'I think it was a pretty good pitch at Lord's and we just needed to bowl more consistently. The toss was important there and they won the toss and made use of the opportunity,' said Ramdin, who was recalled for this tour after nearly two years in the wilderness.

'But we recognise that we could have one bad session and we could lose a Test match, so we need to be more consistent.'

'We may bat or bowl well (in one session), and we need to come (out again) and be on our toes again, but sometimes we take things for granted,' Ramdin added.

The West Indies proved erratic in the first Test, batting and bowling well only in patches, to give England the advantage.

They were dismissed for 243 in their first innings and crashed to 65 for four in the second before rallying to 345.

When England batted, they cruised at 244 for two before losing their last eight wickets for 154 runs and falling for 398.

The Windies also had the hosts tottering at 57 for four in their second innings before letting them off the hook.

'Many people felt that we would have lost inside four days, but the guys showed character and fight,' said Ramdin, who got a crucial 43 in the second innings.

'If we had batted a bit better in the first innings, you never know what could have happened on the last day.'

He added: 'It would be amazing for us to win a Test in England. For a team with so many young players, to be able to win a Test against the No.1 Test side, it would be fantastic.'

'We showed some fight against Australia (in our previous series) back home, but we're in English conditions. We are in England's backyard and it's tough to beat them here. But they are beatable.'

The West Indies have been dogged by damp, chilly English weather since the start of the tour but conditions have steadily improved.

In fact, there were warm temperatures for the tourists first training session here Wednesday, further lifting the Windies' hopes of an improved performance.

'The weather looks fine up this side, so hopefully, the conditions would also favour our bowlers, and they can take pattern from England's bowlers, bowl the right areas, challenge England's batsmen, and put up a better fight here and we try to force a win,' Ramdin said.